Although Starhelm Studios is aiming for a retro look, the gameplay won’t be that old-fashioned. Project Shadowglass is a love letter to classic immersive first-person perspective stealth simulations such as Thief, Deus Ex, and System Shock, built with unique 3D pixel art technology.
Play as a struggling thief who is mysteriously tasked by an anonymous source to “acquire” ancient artifacts hidden across the realm. To succeed, you must rely on your wits and the tools of your trade to pull off seemingly impossible heists. By day, you plan and prepare in your humble apartment in the slums. Spend the gold you’ve acquired on new tools and items, upgrade your hidden workshop, acquire intel, and scout your next target location. By night, you must move and act unseen if you wish to succeed. You are no warrior. You’re alone, vulnerable, outmatched, and outnumbered. Every person has a name and a memory. One false misstep could mean fleeing for your life, hiding for days, or engaging in terrifying melee combat that leaves a lasting impression.
In a lush, dark, and oppressive seaside kingdom, the richest nobles have fallen in line with a new king who has promised them more. The poor grow poorer and the rich grow richer. The claustrophobic city is building more walls to keep the poor out. They build higher towers so they can’t hear or smell the poor, but they can always keep an eye on them. But they didn’t account for you. This is not a power fantasy. You are not a hero with powers. Instead, you must rely solely on improving your planning and skills. Use your knowledge to your advantage. Your tools and mind are your ultimate weapons. You can sloppily wield a broadsword if necessary, but a master thief moves like a ghost. Feel rewarded as your skills improve. As you acquire intel and lore, you will see new methods, approaches, and secrets hidden in plain sight that you can use to your advantage. Learn recipes and components to create new effects and expand your workshop.
Navigate using light and sound. Hide in the darkness. Study patrol routes. Choose quiet surfaces over loud ones. Manipulate the environment by dousing torches, creating distractions, and using the surroundings to your advantage. Infiltrate secure areas by picking locks, pickpocketing keys, and climbing to forbidden places to gain the upper hand. Deal with threats by knocking out guards, hiding bodies and evidence, or risking deadly blade-to-blade combat. Complete the heist by gaining access, stealing treasures, and escaping.
There are multiple approaches and solutions with a sandbox design philosophy. Unique rendering technology brings nostalgic pixel art to life in a 3D space. Your reputation follows you. If you get caught, security will be heightened based on the severity. Become known as a murderer, and citizens will flee on sight. Do your own research before a heist. You choose when, where, and how to act. If you’re apprehended alive, you’ll need to break yourself out of jail.
You’ll face challenges such as guards armed to the teeth, magical security systems with complex codes to crack, and imposing heights that mean instant death should you take the wrong step. There are also traps set for unsuspecting thieves. Enemies will make use of lights and torches if they suspect something (or someone) is hiding in the darkness. The front door is the quickest way in but the loudest.
Project Shadowglass doesn’t have a release date yet, but based on the information available on Steam, it’s still in the early stages of development.
